Art of preserving eggs.



* can o si'a'rns AT NT oF IoE.

SAMUEL F. HENDERSON, or woonwARnviLL j MARYLAND, assrenon To THE- YESTEIt-LAIID me 00., or WOODWARDVILLE, MARYLAND, a CORPORATION or MARYLAND. a

' ART OF FEE-SERVING EGGS.

No Drawing.

. To all whom itmay concern.

1 Be it known that I, SAMUEL F. HENDER- 5 Arundel and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Preserving-Eggs, of following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement methane-group, obtamed by distilling off the in the art of preserving-eggs.

The invention also relatesto an egg treated for preservation.

Heretofore; many suggestions. have been 1 offered and'attemptsmade to' treat eggs I while fresh with. material intended. to preserve their .fresh characteristics. The

' methods heretofore suggested and materials employed have, as far as I have been informed, been moreor less ob ect1onable, for various reasons Some of the materials and methods employed affect the taste of the egg,

discolor" the shell, leave objectionable de-.

\ posits on the shells, and in other particulars have been found to be.-unsatisfactory.

It has i been appreciated heretofore that i were it'possible to so treat afresh egg that it could be preserved in its natural condition I substantially with a maintained natural color, taste and bulk, itwould be a highly desirable and important discovery. I' believe I have discovered a-method and material for effecting this desirable result in a satisfactory manner.

The invention may'bestated as compre hending primarily the application of an odorless, colorless and-tasteless.substance, in

the form of a liquid, to the shell of an egg,

as distinguished from a substance .which leaves an objectionable coating on the shell.

The invention also comprehends the appli" cation of a substance tovthe she'll ofan egg, which is characterized; 'as having the quality of rapid penetration ofg the shell of the egg with a View of preventing theingress or passage of moisture to or from the egg and also forpreventing the passage of destructive bacteria into the eggs 'throughlthe shell..

A freshly laid egg has a coating of gelatinoussubstance, which is-commonly known liquid petrolatum petroleum liquidum as bloom. It'i's recognized that this substance has a preserving tendency, but is soon dissipated or destroyed when" exposed to the .atmosphere. The present invention includes also adding to the egg shell a substance which will in manyrespects resemble both which the there remain without change.

material I believe, and as faras Inow know The material with which with great success for the purposes above Specification of Letters Patent. 5 Patented Feb, 29, 1916,, v i

Application filed August 28, 1915. Serial No. 47,797. i

I treat the eggs and which I have discovered can be used stated, is what is known as liquid petrolaturn. This substance or material is, according to my best and'present'information, a mixture of hydro-carbons, chiefly of the without" odor ortaste, and does notcongeal or form. a paste or waxy coating when applied or exposed.

.The substance is. insoluble in water and will not evaporate readily, infact will show no appreciable'loss by evaporation when 'exposed to normal temperature or temperatures penetration, and in that particular owing to its mainta ned liquidity, when the same is applied to the shell of an egg, the material approximating the boiling point. of water. -'Liquid'petrolatum has the property of quick will enter the pores of the shell material and With this from experiments and extensive tests, the pores of the shell are not entirely or com-- pletely closed, as would be the case with a waxy material, such as'paraflin or parafiin oil. This I believe is important from a scientific'standpointinasmuch as by the partial sealing offthe 'pores-,. objectionable or' destructive bacteria are prevented from enterthrou'gh the shell.-

It is knowii that ozone is a bacteria de-.

'stroyer and therefore desirable to have enter tering through the shell, the destructive action of any bacteria which may be contained-in the shell is modified or checked. It may be noted also. that the material possesses the characteristics of being uninjurious to the human system, and being an oil, is moisture repellent.

-ing through the pores, while the molecules -of oxygen and ozone are permittedto enter Eggs treated with liquid petrolatum,

either at a normal temperature or at a.

i highly heated temperature possess general characteristics which will preserve the egg and render the shell moisture repellent and germ proof. It does not impair the egg in any material respect, the moisture of the contents of the egg being prevented fro-m escaping through the oil treated shell.

Eggs treated with liquid petrolatum can be placed in cold storage and there kept for many months, thereafter removed and allowed to remain under normal temperature conditions without deteriorating for many weeks. This is an advantage as it is now known that untreated eggs when taken from storage deteriorate within a very few days.

The material liquid petrolatum or its equivalent I have found represents a very satisfactory and successful artificial bloom, the natural bloom being recognized as an important preservative for the egg for a very short duration of time. In this particular it may also be observed that the material being of an oily character gives a bloomy appearance to the shell so that the egg has the appearance of freshly laid and this is maintained until the egg is used.

In carrying out the method, the eggs in quantities if desirable, may be placed in a wire basket or other reticulated carrier, immersed in a bath of liquid petrolatum. The eggs are allowed to stand in the bath for a short period of time which will differ according to the temperature of the liquid. It has been ascertained that fifteen seconds is ample time for treating the eggs at a normal temperature of the liquid. The eggs are removed from the bath after treatment and placed on any convenient form of drain table and the surplus liquid permitted to flow from the shell. In this condition the eggs are ready for storage or the market.

While I'have found liquid petrolatum is very successful for the purposes specified, I wish it understood that other light oils, if possessing the same or general characteristics of liquid petrolatum, may be employed without departing from the invention, and I do not wish my patent protection to be limited to the specific material. I believe, however, I am the first to ever discover that by treating an egg with a substance having the characteristic above outlined, a very beneficial and useful result is obtained and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the specific material.

Having thus described the invention,

what is claimed is: 1

1. The methodof preserving eggs consisting in treating the shells thereof with a substance consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons, chiefly of the methane series, ob-

'tained by distilling off most of the lighter and more volatile portions from petroleum, purifying the residue so that the remaining substance is substantially colorless, oily, transparent, is without odor or taste, and not readily evaporable.

2. The method of preserving eggs consisting in treating the entire shell thereof with liquid petrolatum.

3. The method of treating eggs consistingtially colorless, tasteless, transparent, nonvolatile mineral oil.-

6. An egg having its shell treated with li uid petrolatum.

7. An egg having its shell treated with an oil which possesses substantially the characteristics of liquid petrolatum.

8. An egg having its shell treated with a hydrocarbon oil which possesses the characteristics of liquid petrolatum.

9. A method of preserving eggs consisting in coating the-shell thereof with liquid pctrolatum.

10. The method of producing an artificial bloom for egg shells consisting in applying to the shell liquid petrolatum.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of a witness- SAMUEL F. HENDERSON.

Witness ALFRED B. DENT. 

